Semua Bab Married to the father of my child: Bab 21 - Bab 30

Anne nodded and left. Gerald drew in a deep breath, knowing she wouldn’t hesitate to tell Helena about Tony. Myriam watched him closely.“Don’t you live in the same house as your mother?” she asked curiously.Gerald invited her to sit in a lounge area in the middle of the vast garden.“Years ago, my brother and I were teenagers,” he began, his voice catching. “We were coming home from school with my mother—she was driving. We had an accident.”Myriam noticed his breathing quicken, his chest rising and falling.“What happened?” she asked.“My brother… died,” he confessed. He stood, handed the baby to Myriam, and walked to a wooden bar. With trembling hands, he poured himself a glass of water.“Are you all right?” Myriam asked gently.Gerald pressed his eyelids shut, inhaled and exhaled several times.“I’m fine,” he replied. “I don’t like being consoled or pitied.” His cold, imperious tone returned.Myriam refused to let him treat her that way, not after living something similar with Ra

“She blames me for the accident,” he said. “I can’t remember what happened; I have this sort of mental blackout from that moment, but she insists I was involved,” he confessed in a trembling voice.Myriam pressed her lips together.“If it makes you feel better, my mother also blames me for my father leaving. She says I should have stopped him, manipulated him into staying with us,” she explained. “She never forgave me for not begging him to leave his mistress,” she admitted, taking a sip of wine.“What do you feel for your mother?” he asked, fixing his piercing gaze on her.Myriam inhaled deeply.“Pity, sadness. I’ve tried to get closer, but she pushes me away. I feel sorry for her situation, but there’s nothing more I can do,” she said. “And you?”Gerald stayed silent, drank from his glass, and avoided the question.“I think we have everything ready to begin the charade,” he stated. “Tomorrow you’ll bring your things. We’ll live together.”Myriam drew in a long breath.“I forgot to t

Myriam cleared her throat.“Mrs. Helena, I know you’ve been given a poor opinion of me, but I believe everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt,” she said, meeting the lady’s bluish gaze. “I know very well I’m not the right woman for your son. However, I am the mother of your grandson, and that will never change. I’d like the chance to get to know you, and for you to get to know me.”Helena drew a deep breath, her throat tight. She looked at Anne, who seemed deeply moved. The nurse nodded and crossed her fingers inside her uniform pockets, hoping her mistress would accept.Mrs. Lennox lifted her face, locking eyes with Myriam.“On one condition,” she said.“Which one?” Myriam asked.“That you bring the boy every day,” she requested, kissing the child’s forehead.Myriam’s heart softened at the woman’s words, and she gave her a warm smile.“Of course.”“Absolutely not!” Gerald countered. “I won’t let this woman ruin Tony’s life the way she ruined mine!” he barked, agitated.Helena felt

Myriam tilted her lips. Though the boutique clerks thought she was admiring herself in the mirror, her gaze was locked on Gerald’s expression. Her stomach tightened as she noticed how that icy stare of his ignited into fire, burning against her skin. Her insides twisted, and for a fleeting instant, they both yearned for the same thing. Yet, just like Gerald, a shred of conscience seized her mind.This isn’t right, she told herself. He cares about Bianca, she repeated, and the thought brought her pain. Shaking her head, she retreated back into the fitting room.After trying on more outfits—dresses, skirts, blouses, trousers—and acquiring shoes, handbags, and jewelry, they finally headed home.In the car, the heavy silence returned. Myriam slid her fingers toward the music player. Though Gerald seemed not to like it, he was so focused on the road he didn’t react.The soft strains of Gian Marco’s “Al Otro Lado de la Luna” filled the car.Myriam closed her eyes for a few seconds, letting

That afternoon, while Myriam was finishing up some tasks, someone knocked on her door.“Come in,” she said.She was surprised to see her dear friend Rubén. She greeted him with a smile and immediately invited him in.“How are you?” she asked.The man studied her carefully, his eyes discreetly roaming her. She looked radiant, elegant—so different from the woman who had suffered so much just months ago. He was happy for her; he had always believed Myriam deserved this and so much more.“I came to apologize,” he said. “Although I still don’t understand why you’d want to marry that man,” he muttered, “I’ll respect your decision.”Myriam drew in a deep breath and looked at him tenderly.“Sometimes love is born from hate,” she said. “Gerald and I had serious differences, but there was always something that attracted us to each other.” She smiled softly. “Besides, I can tell you that behind that armor of an insensitive man, there’s someone sweet, caring, attentive, and with a good heart.”As